Wawa, a privately held, family-owned chain of more than 980 convenience retail and food service stores, will be breaking ground on multiple locations in Mobile in 2023, with stores opening in 2024.

The first Wawa opened in Folstom, Pennsylvania, in 1964. It now has locations throughout New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and most recently, Florida.

The chain, beloved on the east coast, has in the past won Market Force's survey of best sandwiches, beating out chains more familiar down south.